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50 Great Curries of India

by Camellia Panjabi

rom an early age, Camellia Panjabi has been fascinated with food. This lifelong passion is clear in her book '50 Great Curries of India' which has sold more than a million copies worldwide -- making it one of the most authoritative books on the subject of Indian home cooking. This new edition includes a new 30-minute DVD showing cooks step-by-step techniques for three recipes.

'50 Great Curries of India' is a true celebration of the diversity of India's beloved curries. Panjabi recreates in the pages of the book the classic curries alongside lesser-known dishes from every region of the country. She brilliantly interweaves history, geography, and the philosophy of Indian cuisine with techniques, taste, aromas, and flavors. On this journey she delves into the basics of what makes a curry, provides a primer on common Indian spices, turns up the heat with a detailed discussion on chiles, shares her helpful hints and shortcuts, and paints a vivid picture of the Indian meal. All captured in stunning photography, '50 Great Curries of India' is an illustrated guide to the art of Indian cooking.

After the fascinating background material has been presented, Panjabi introduces readers to the curries. She begins with Kashmiri Rogan Josh, a traditional curry lamb simmered in a lush sauce infused with large black cardamoms and cloves, as well as Lamb with Plums, a dish with Hyderabadi origins (and one of Panjabi's favorites).

Moving on to chicken: White Chicken Korma, historically a Muslim court dish; Butter Chicken, which originated in the 1950s at Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi; Chicken Cooked with Lentils and Vegetables, the best-known dish in Parsee cuisine; and Bengal's Chicken Dopiaza in a rich onion sauce.

From the seafood section: Shrimp with Scallions and Fenugreek Leaves; Crab Curry; home-style Madras Fish Curry; the delicate-flavored Fish in Coconut Milk; and Fish Cooked in Yogurt.

Vegetarian curries: Egg Curry, Watermelon Curry, Creamy Potato Curry, and Chickpea Curry are just a few.

In addition to the 50 great curries, recipes for rice dishes, Indian breads and rotis, side vegetables, and raitas, menus are also included to help the reader put together an impressive Indian meal for family and friends.
(Kyle Books, November 2009)

About Camellia Panjabi:
Camellia Panjabi was born in Mumbai. She studied economics at Cambridge and went on to become the Marketing Director of India's most prestigious hotel group - the Taj Hotels - known for spearheading new cuisines and culinary ideas in its Asian and Western restaurants. With a lifelong passion for food and for exploring different cuisines, Panjabi has helped create several restaurants for these premier hotels, featuring little-known regional dishes. In 1982, Panjabi opened Bombay Brasserie in London, which introduced regional Indian cooking to the UK for the first time, forever changing the perception of Indian cuisine. In 2001, she left the Taj Group to join her family restaurant company, Masala World, in London, which owns Chutney Mary, Veeraswamy, Masala Zone, and Amaya.